Heat tape blamed for fire

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Faulty wiring is the most likely cause of a fire which destroyed a Mt. Morris home early Jan. 24.

“We’ve determined that the most probable cause was a heat tape used to keep pipes from freezing or the wiring feeding the heat tape,” Mt. Morris Fire Chief Rob Hough said Tuesday.

An agent from the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office and the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department assisted with the investigation.

Hough said the heat tape was running inside an exterior wall on pipes going to an upstairs bathroom on the west side of the house, which was owned by Bobbi Kump at 1847 N. Mt. Morris Rd.

Kump and her three children lost all their possessions and their family pet, Vixen, a German shepherd, in the fire, which was reported by a neighbor at 2:42 a.m.

Kump, a paramedic for the Mt. Morris Fire Department, was at work when the fire occurred and her children were staying overnight with their grandmother who lives nearby.

The roof of the structure had already collapsed when firefighters arrived. Firemen from eight area departments were called for mutual aid.

Hough said the house was insured.

An account has been set up at Union Savings Bank, 2 W. Main St., Mt. Morris, for Kump and her three children, Adam, 17, Kaitlin, 14, and Seth, 11.

Monetary donations should be directed to the Bobbi Kump Benefit at the bank.

Clothing, food, school supplies, toys, and other items are being accepted at the Mt. Morris Firehouse, 15 E. Center St.

For a list of clothing sizes, go to the fire department’s website at www.mountmorrisfire.com.